


Second Chances

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: 9-1-1 (TV), 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: 9-1-1 Crack Week (9-1-1 TV), 911CrackWeek2020, Confessions, Conventions, Crossover Pairings, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Buck attends a firefighter convention with Eddie and Hen, and runs into someone from his past.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/TK Strand
Comments: 19
Kudos: 246





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LovelyLittleGrim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLittleGrim/gifts).



> For Day 3 of 9-1-1 Crack Week: Crack pairings.
> 
> For Amanda, who is to thank for this existing. I was going to have to write something for them anyway, but this whole thing was her idea. I just ran with it.

Buck's learned a lot about love in his twenty-eight years on this earth. He's seen the ups and down. Watched as things worked out and people were blissfully happy. But also just how easily things can fall apart. Sometimes before they even start. 

Maybe the timing isn't right or they slip away. Both are the case for Buck. Especially when it comes to one person in particular. Someone that Buck had met in college and fell hard for. So hard that it scared him. He hadn't been ready then. So he pushed those feelings down. 

He figured that would be the end of it. They'd graduated and gone their separate ways. It's been eight years. Eight long years and yet, as Buck looks across the conference hall, Buck feels like he's been transported back to college. 

Because there, standing across the room, is TK Strand. The one that got away. 

"Looks like more visitors are here," someone calls from across the room.

TK turns then, wide smile still on his face. Their eyes meet, and TK's mouth drops open as he gives a breathless laugh and strides towards where Buck is standing with Eddie and Hen. The three of them had been put on conference duty from Bobby for the weekend. They all knew it was because Bobby himself hadn’t wanted to come, but Buck didn’t mind. Especially not now.

"Holy shit! Buck?"

Buck raises his hand in a small, nervous wave. "Hey TK."

"Eight years and all I get is a ‘hey TK?’ I'm offended," TK says, rolling his eyes. 

Buck grins and opens his arms. “Wasn’t sure if you were still a hugger.”

“Of course I am!” TK laughs and steps into his arms, hugging him back tightly. "You always did give the best hugs."

“You two know each other?” Eddie asks.

Buck nods and reluctantly moves back from TK. “Yeah.”

“Oh yeah, we go way back,” TK says. “I gave Buck here all his first real city experiences.”

“Oh so you’re the one to blame,” Hen says teasingly.

“We went to college together,” Buck says. 

“And Buck had never left Pennsylvania before college,” TK adds.

“I had,” Buck argues.

“Going from one small town in one state to another doesn’t count,” TK says. “But we made sure you had the full college experience.”

“Oh you certainly did,” Buck says. “You corrupted me.”

TK laughs, “I did no such thing! I just brought out of you what was already there.”

And certainly had. In more ways than he realizes probably. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

“So how have you been man?” TK asks, slinging an arm around his shoulder and leading him away. He looks behind him to see Eddie raising an eyebrow, and shrugs. Eddie rolls his eyes and starts after them, Hen not far behind.

“Good,” Buck says, looking back at TK. “Mostly.”

“It’s always a mostly,” TK says.

“Yeah well, you know what it’s like with this job,” Buck says.

TK nods, “Yeah, I do.”

“What about you?” Buck asks. “Still living in New York?”

“Nah, we’re in Austin now,” TK says.

Buck raises an eyebrow, “You really left New York City? I thought you never would.”

“I needed to get away for a bit,” TK says. “But Austin is nice. And I’ve met some great people. And you, you ended up here?”

Buck nods, “Yeah. I’m over at the 118.”

“Nice,” TK says. “Didn’t you have someone that had rebar go through their head?”

“Yeah Chimney,” Buck says. At TK’s raised eyebrow, he chuckles. “It’s a nickname. One I still have no idea where it came from.”

“Intriguing,” TK says. “He seems like a lucky guy to have survived that.”

“Extremely,” Buck says.

“Evan Buckley!” Buck almost jumps at the sound of someone calling his name. He turns to see Owen Strand walking towards them. He stops in front of Buck and TK and grins as he claps Buck on the back. “Nice to see you with clothes on.”

Behind him, Eddie inhales sharply. “What?”

“Buck here went through a thing where he spent a lot of time naked in college,” TK shrugs, as if it's no big deal. Back then it hadn’t been. He’d been coming into himself and well… “Says he liked the freedom that came with being naked.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow, and looks as if he’s fighting back a smile. “Not surprising.”

“I didn’t do it all the time,” Buck says. “Usually only when I was alone.”

“Oh I’m sure you were always alone, Buckaroo,” Hen laughs.

Buck rolls his eyes, “Shut up.”

“So how did Captain Strand see you naked?” Eddie asks. He looks between Buck and TK and smirks. “Or weren’t you alone?”

Buck coughs, “Oh no. I umm… I thought I was alone because TK had class late that day. So I walked out into the kitchen to grab a drink and then just heard someone cough from behind me. And startled, I spun around and…”

Eddie starts laughing, “Buck.”

“I panicked!”

“For a long time Dad was sure I was living with a nudist,” TK says, grinning over at Buck.

“It’s not as if you never did anything weird,” Buck says.

“Yeah but never like _that_ ,” TK says.

“TK, you streaked through our hall on a dare,” Buck reminds him.

TK’s eyes widen, “Dude, that was a secret!” He turns to his Dad. “It was one time, and hardly anyone else was around.”

Buck snorts. That’s not necessarily true. No one had been around at the start, but when TK started screaming, as he had been dared to, doors had started opening. He’s just lucky no one got out their camera.

“I don’t need to know,” Owen says, holding up his hands.

“Seems like Buck wasn’t the only one with an affinity for nudity,” Hen says.

“It was one time,” Buck and TK say in unison.

"Honestly, with the way you two were, I don't know how you two never got together," Owen says, looking between the two.

"Buck is straight, Dad."

"Uhh no?” Buck laughs nervously. “I'm not. I'm definitely bi."

“What? Seriously?”

Buck raises an eyebrow, “I certainly am.”

TK gapes, “You mean I could have actually…” he bites his lip and turns away.

Buck smirks and steps closer, “I wasn’t out back then so that probably wouldn’t have been the best idea.”

TK nods, “Right, because just because you’re into dudes doesn’t mean you’d be into me.”

“I didn’t say that,” Buck says. “I just mean that it wouldn’t have been fair to get involved with a guy I really liked when I couldn’t really be with him.”

“You liked me?”

Buck shrugs, “Of course I did. How could I not?”

“I never knew,” TK whispers.

“That was kind of the point.”

“I spent _years_ pining after you!”

Buck grins sheepishly, “If it helps, you weren’t alone.”

“Maybe a little bit.”

“So,” Buck says, swaying closer. “What are the chances you’re still single?”

TK smiles, “Pretty damn good.”

“Well that is just unacceptable,” Buck says.

“Yeah? You want to do something about it?”

“Maybe,” Buck says. He reaches out and brushes his fingers along TK’s wrist, before meeting his gaze with a shy smile. “Depends on if you want me to.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t,” TK tells him.

“We barely even know each other anymore,” Buck says.

“Are you really trying to dissuade me from going out with you?” TK asks.

“No, I just…I waited a long time for this, and I guess now that you’re standing in front of me I’m afraid of screwing it up.”

“How about this,” TK says. “We go have dinner and get to know each other again, see how the night goes, and then go from there. No expectations. If it goes well, great. If it doesn’t, well at least then we’ll know so we can move on.”

“Sounds perfectly logical,” Buck says.

“That’s not an answer,” TK tells him.

“We live on opposite sides of the country,” Buck reminds.

“Buck,” TK says.

“It’s a completely logical worry,” Buck says.

Buck forgets to breathe for a moment when TK leans in and kisses him. It’s just a soft brush of lips, before TK is pulling back with a smile, but it still sends Buck’s head spinning. “It’s just dinner, Evan.”

“Say that again,” Buck whispers.

TK raises an eyebrow, “It’s just dinner?”

Buck shakes his head, “No, the other thing.”

TK smiles and squeezes his hand, “ _Evan_.”

Buck surges forward and kisses him, a proper kiss. One he’d only dreamed of happening back in college but never thought it actually would. Now, here he is, with his hand on TK’s neck and TK’s hands running down his back as they trade heated kisses in the middle of a conference hall. It’s funny how life works out.

“Dinner sounds good,” Buck mumbles against his lips.

“Good,” TK smiles. “First we have to get through this conference.”

Buck groans and rests his head against TK’s. “Sure we can’t skip it?”

“Considering my Dad is helping run it…”

Buck looks over TK’s shoulder, unsurprised to see everyone has left them alone. Owen is nowhere in sight. Buck smirks, “Well your dad isn’t here.”

“Now how would it look if the captain's son just shirked his duty to run off with a man?” TK teases.

“Like he was letting this man be a good host by showing his guest around,” Buck says, raking his nails across TK’s skin. He marvels at the way TK’s eyes slip closed and his mouth parts on a gasp. He can’t resist leaning in and kissing him again. “Please.”

“God you know I can’t say no to you,” TK sighs.

Buck kisses him, something slow and lingering. A promise for more. “Is that a yes?”

TK’s eyes open and meet his. He smiles, “It’s a yes. But…”

“Yes?”

“I’ll have you know I’m not so easy to let you get into my pants before you buy me dinner,” TK teases.

Buck laughs and brushes his nose along TK’s jaw and looks up at him through his lashes, “But after dinner?”

“We’re waiting to see how it goes, remember?” TK says.

“True,” Buck says. “But I think it’s going to go pretty well.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Buck takes his hand and starts backing towards the door. “Now let’s get out of here.”

They’re both laughing as they run towards the doors. He can’t remember the last time he felt this light. This free. He knows they still have a lot to talk about and figure out. But he’s so close to having something he’s always wanted. All he has to do is take a chance. He might not have been ready before, but now he is. Life has given him a second chance here with TK. He’s not going to waste it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments make my day 💜  
> You can find me [here on tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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